Ties that Bind

Alasdair Roberts

After writing Crème de la Crème, his lively and entertaining survey of Edinburgh's girls' schools, Alasdair Roberts has turned his attention to the city's boys' schools. Ties that Bind: Boys' Schools of Edinburgh was published in November 2009.

The High School dates back to medieval times, but the Edinburgh boys' schools really took off in the 19th century with the transformation of Edinburgh's boarding 'hospitals' into day schools, and the author covers those developments in some detail, as well as looking at earlier history and later developments. He also writes about education in the classroom, on the games fields and in the wider sense. Alasdair Roberts describes the impact of two world wars -- that of 1914-18 being particularly devastating. Recently these schools have come under pressure both economically and politically, and general social change has led to all but one of Edinburgh's boys' schools becoming coeducational. Copiously illustrated with drawings and photographs, Ties that Bind is a worthy companion to Crème de la Crème.

In 2008 we brought out a paperback edition of Interrogation of Silence, by Rowena Murray and Brian Murray, their well-received account of the works of the Orcadian writer George Mackay Brown. This was the first book to offer a comprehensive study of his work, taken as a whole.

'An excellent overview of Brown's work, covering all the genres in which he wrote: poetry, prose, drama, journalism, autobiography, children's story and essay ... There are surprises in this delightful book.'
-- Ron Ferguson, The Herald

'This engaging, modest book is a comprehensive prologue to the work of the much-loved Orcadian poet and novelist'
-- Peter Davidson, Scotland on Sunday

Interrogation of Silence

Rowena Murray and Brian Murray

Founded in 2001, Steve Savage Publishers started with the acquisition of the list of Gordon Wright Publishing Ltd, of Edinburgh. Our intention is to develop Gordon Wright's strong commitment to Scottish writing. Steve Savage Publishers is a member of the Independent Publishers Guild. Our list includes books on Scottish history, literature, languages and folklore, as well as guidebooks, humorous titles, and new and classic writing from Scotland and elsewhere.